Panama, a country small in territory but giant in terms of the generational dominance of sports figures recognized worldwide, has begun to take significant steps in recovering that sporting recognition and in developing other disciplines which, like in other countries across the American continent, have had to face many obstacles to achieve their goals. Its best example is how it is delivering the IV South American Youth Games Panama 2026, taking place between April 12 and 25.

The whole world has heard of the legendary multi-champion boxer Roberto “Hands of Stone” Durán; also of pitcher and the only unanimously inducted Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera; or Olympic champion from Beijing 2008, Irving Saladino, among other figures who have left an international mark in more globalised sports.

Changing Panama’s current reality

With these and other figures, one might think this is a territory that regularly produces sporting icons; however, that development and presence have not been sustainable over time, a reality Panama is now trying to change.

Sports such as basketball, the only team sport in the country to have reached the Olympic Games, have gone through very difficult periods that have led them to lose prominence, as has also happened in volleyball, among other disciplines that include individual sports.

Several sports in the country have been recovering through new ideas and leadership capable of making effective decisions, such as implementing projects that have helped change results or achieve milestones that were previously unseen. This has been the case with football, which qualified for its first World Cup in 2018 and recently for a second time ahead of the upcoming tournament in June; as well as gymnastics, which has had a golden generation of young athletes who in a short time have placed Panama in a different sporting landscape with the impressive performances of Hilary Heron and Karla Navas; and similarly cycling, which has had consecutive Olympic appearances through Christofer Jurado and Franklin Archibold.

Atheyna Bylon’s breakthrough

At both the Pan American and Olympic level, Panama has also reached the podium in disciplines that had not done so for many years or were waiting for a leading female figure, something achieved through Olympic athlete Gianna Woodruff, the first woman from the country to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games, achieved in Santiago 2023; and boxer Atheyna Bylon, the first woman to win an Olympic medal for Panama, with the gold medal in Paris 2024.

These are strong signs that sport in Panama is evolving, and that the immediate objective is to accelerate that progress. This has not been an easy task, as the main obstacle remains financial, due to the recurring limitation of funds allocated to sport, along with poor governance in some disciplines.

With the organisation of the current South American Youth Games, Panama is not only recovering its value as a sporting destination—especially as a country that attracts significant tourism—but can also be strengthened by the positive impact the event may leave for the country’s different associations, federations, and sports organisations.